Gadgetell | Tech News, Reviews, and Interesting Things

JVC may have beaten Panasonic with its three AVCHD camcorders announced yesterday, but two new Panasonic camcorders have something that the JVCs don’t have - 3MOS system which according to Panasonic provides superb video image quality. These two new Panasonic camcorders are the HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100. Both camcorders include manual control features for zoom, focus, iris, shutter speed and white balance. They also boast of Panasonic’s new Intelligent Auto (iA) mode which automatically activates and makes video capturing easy and seamless.

As we said, these two camcorders employ a 3MOS system which has been newly developed by Panasonic based on its 3CCD technology. In simple terms, this system provides good image quality even in low-light environment, reproduces superb color, captures more vibrant, true-to-life colors and offers richer gradation of video resolution.

In addition to the 3MOS system, these two camcorders also features Panasonic’s HD Advanced Pure Color Engine and a Leica Dicomar lens which allows for the production of images in full-HD 1920x1080 resolution. These lens also allows the camcorders to have both 12x zoom power in a compact body.

Other features of these two camcorders include HD Writer 2.6 software for Windows, iMovie 08 for Apple, support for Panasonic’s VIERA link for connecting the camcorders to a VIERA HDTV using HDMI cable. It also allows the camcorder to be operated by a TV remote control.

The Panasonic HDC-SD100 and HDC-HS100 will be available sometime in September for $1,299.95 and $1,099.95 respectively.

Read [Market Wire] Via [Electronista]

Yet again, Nvidia unveils another next-generation multi-core GPU to satisfy all the gamers and performance freaks out there. Enter the Nvidia GeForce GTX 200 series.

Holding true to their multi-GPU design (starting from the 9800 GX2), this series is a dream for Nvidia’s power-hungry enthusiasts. But the GTX 200 series is also incorporating NVIDIA CUDA technology – the world’s only C language environment that enables developers to write software to solve complex problems in a fraction of the time by tapping into multi-GPU technology – which means that this video card series is potentially a strong platform for numerous CUDA-enabled rich-media and visual-computing applications. Such applications are becoming more commonplace in the medical and scientific field because of the phenomenal boosts that CUDA gave programs when it was released. The series’ tagline “Beyond Gaming” really is not such a far-off notion because of CUDA.

Nvidia is also hyping on the boost that this series can give to everyday media tasks – video transcoding, for example. What would normally take hours could become a task that could be finished in minutes.

For gamers (who would normally be the first partakers of this new series), 448 to 512-bit processing is available, with GDDR3 already being a standard for Nvidia’s high-performance cards. Combined with PhysX (Nvidia recently acquired AEGIA) and SLI technology (Nvidia is moving now from three-way SLI to Quad-SLI), enthusiasts and gamers could be in for a whole new world of facial animation, flowing smoke and fog effects, awesome clothing flow simulation, staggering physical debris and explosions – all the standard eye-candy that we require to be norms.

Believed to be released in 2 variations, the GTX 260 and 280 (868MB and 1GB models respectively), expect a lot more hype and innovation as game developers and software designers move to catch up with the multi-GPU revolution.

Read [ZDNet]

Because a Harmony remote just wasn’t enough for the world (among the millions of other all-in-one remotes), ESPN decided to come out with a remote of their own, and all things considered it doesn’t look that bad. While the specs have already been discussed earlier, the folks over at Zatz Not Funny have gotten their hands on the yet to be released remote, and to be honest, I’m kind of envious. The remote looks pretty slick, I mean, come on, what guy wouldn’t want a remote with Wi-Fi. And for those of you who aren’t a fan of the ESPN red color, it looks like you’ll also be able to get it in black. The cost is $299 and its still expected to be available for Father’s Day. For the wives out there reading this, if you like quality time with him, you may want to skip the ESPN remote.

Via [Zatz Not Funny]

It’s either the perfect Father’s Day gift or the perfect excuse for initiating divorce proceedings: ESPN has announced the coming of its branded Ultimate Remote, a $299 universal remote control designed to give the sports fan quicker and easier access to games, stats and excuses not to engage in “honeydew” chores on weekends.

The ESPN press release doesn’t give a launch date, just that it will be available in time for the third Sunday in June and can be pre-ordered at Amazon.com. But a list of cool-sounding features is there: Wi-Fi Internet access, text and email, quick setup that doesn’t require a nearby PC, the ability to let sports fans surf games on TV, surf team standings and info on the web, the ESPN logo at the top of the device, and the Sportscenter jingle (dah-dah-DAT, dah-dah-DAT) every time you press a button.

Okay, I made up that last feature. I’m not sure I want to give the ESPN marketing gurus any more ideas. As it stands, the Ultimate Remote has a better chance at success than the initial version of the ESPN-branded cell phone if only for the fact that sports fans have a much closer relationship with their TV’s and home theater systems than their phones on game days.

Read [ESPN Media Zone]

Western Digital has just unleashed their My DVR Expander external hard drive.  This WD drive is certified to work as an external storage device for Dish Network DVRs.

The hard drive line sports 500GB of storage, which in TV terms, is 300 hours of standard definition content and 60 hours of high definition content.  The drive will definitely work with the Dish set top boxes.  However, on top of the device’s $149.99 price, you will have to pay a fee to activate the USB port on your set top box.

Western Digital is hoping to expand the compatibility of such external drivers to other TV providers.

Via [CrunchGear]

EchoStar is set to launch its SlingModem – a product that combines a standard Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) cable modem and a Slingbox at a Cable Show trade event in New Orleans next week. The device incorporates the place-shifting capabilities of Sling’s popular Slingbox, which allows television content to be transmitted from a consumer’s TV set to any location with an Internet connection. 

The SlingModem observes the DOCSIS 2.0 specification and can be used like a typical high-speed-data modem that connects to the Internet. Moreover, it also includes Sling Media’s proprietary video-encoding technology, which enhances traditional TV programming and makes it suitable for streaming to PCs and Internet-capable mobile devices – in one efficient housing. 

EchoStar is said to be working on other products and services for cable operators and would probably launch them this year.

Via [Crave]

Even though Microsoft has “officially” stated that a Blu-ray drive would be sold for the Xbox 360, this rumor just does not want to die. The latest information is coming courtesy of the Chinese newspaper, Economic Daily News, and it seems to indicate that Microsoft is still interested in utilizing the apparent winner of the HD disc war for their game console.

The Economic Daily News is reporting that Pegatron Technology, a subsidiary of Asus, has orders, from Microsoft, to assemble Xbox 360 consoles that are equipped with a Blu-ray drive. This purported assembly is set to begin in the Q3 of this year. Microsoft has yet to comment on this latest chapter in the Blu-ray/Xbox rumor, so more as it happens.

Read [Digitimes]

Internet TV is cool and is starting to redefine the way consumers watch TV programs. But what would be even cooler is if you can watch your Internet TV programs in high definition, right? Actually you can soon do that with the newly launched and uber-cool device called the ZVBox. ZeeVee, the manufacturers of the ZVBox call this technology localcasting, whereby anything that you have on your PC will be streamed by way of the ZVBox into your HDTV display.

How is this possible? Actually, it works as simple as hooking your ZVBox to your monitor and your HDTV. The ZVBox will stream everything that you do on your PC and localcast this to your HDTV via channel ZV that goes through your cable. What makes ZVBox even better is the fact that it is not limited to localcasting Internet TV programs. Like we said, it can broadcast everything from your PC. So, you can view your own video, view high resolution photos, do your internet activities and many other things. What’s more, you can connect the ZVBox to multiple HDTVs. So, while you and your wife are watching in the comfort of your living room, the kids can watch on their own TV in the comfort of their bedroom.

But of course, all cool devices come with a price, and for the ZVBox it doesn’t come cheap. You can snag one ZVBox by pre-ordering at Amazon for $499. However, you’ll have to wait until June to find out if the price is worth it as that is when they are estimated to begin shipping..

Product [ZeeVee] Via [Gear Live]

Looking to keep its promise of delivering newer versions of its SlingPlayer Mobile software, Sling Media has made updates available for download on their web site today. And not only did they update three currently existing versions of their software client, but they also added support for a few new devices, namely the Nokia N95 8GB, the Treo 500v, and the Samsung i760. Streaming has also been optimized on select handsets, and one such is the Sprint Mogul. Interestingly enough, though, the SlingPlayer Mobile software client on the Palm OS has not been upgraded yet like the other clients.

To download the latest version of SlingPlayer Mobile, all you have to do is log on to Sling Media’s web site and click on the appropriate links. You won’t be needing to fork out any money because the download for the upgrades are free, unless of course if you’re not already an existing customer, at which case you’d have to pay $30 per handset. And don’t forget you also need a Slingbox set up in your home (or any place you stay) for all this to work. So unless you do and you’re willing to pay for the hardware (and software, for new customers), don’t be dreaming up about this right now, thinking that things will magically appear out of nowhere. More info available at the following links.

Download [Sling Media] Via [Crave]

Iomega has announced the new ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive, a portable external data storage device touting a 500GB storage capacity provided by a 3.5 inch 7200rpm NTSF formated hard drive.

The ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive comes with a remote control to help you navigate through your collection of digital content and has support for various media formats including MP3, AC3, WAV, WMA, MPEG-1, MPEG-2, MPEG-4 and JPEG. It also features both HDMI and component video outputs that you can use to display high-resolution digital photos and video on your display of choice. With these connections, you can choose your preferred video settings from either 480i, 480p, 720p or 1080i.

The ScreenPlay HD Multimedia Drive is currently available in the US and retails for $209.95, and is expected to ship internationally sometime in May for around $282.

Via [Far East Gizmos]